About Speaking of Diabetes

Speaking of Diabetes is produced by Joslin Diabetes Center for people with diabetes and those who care for them..

Joslin Diabetes Center, a teaching and research affiliate of Harvard Medical School, is a one-of-a-kind institution on the front lines of the world epidemic of diabetes - leading the battle to conquer diabetes in all forms through cutting-edge research and innovative approaches to clinical care and education.

Technology has become a constant presence in our daily lives, impacting how we socialize, travel and even how we manage our health and well-being. The intersection between technology and healthcare is a powerful one, providing patients unprecedented access to their medical data, treatment options and healthcare team. For people managing chronic diseases, such as diabetes, the use of technology allows them greater autonomy and techniques for self-management.

This is an exciting time in the diabetes community as technology transforms the way both patients and physicians approach diabetes care. According to Elena Toschi, M.D., Staff Physician in the Adult Diabetes Section at Joslin Diabetes Center and Instructor in Medicine at Harvard Medical School, over the next year we can expect to see the following developments in diabetes technology and innovation:

“Hybrid-closed loop” Insulin Pump: Medtronic is currently testing a new insulin pump, called the MiniMed 670G US. This pump is considered a “hybrid-closed loop” because it combines the use of a pump and a continuous glucose monitor (CGM), the Enlite 3. Based on the CGM reading, every five minutes the pump’s software will automatically increase or decrease basal insulin delivery to a target blood glucose of 120 mg/dl. However, users will still need to take bolus insulin, or fast acting insulin, for meals and during exercise.

Bionic Pancreas: Ed Damiano, Ph.D., from Boston University, recently unveiled his plan to commercialize the Bionic Pancreas through a new public benefit corporation, Beta Bionics. They plan to test the next version of its fully integrated dual-chamber pump in a four-site bridging study at the end of 2016.

Improvement in CGM Accuracy: Medtronic , Dexcom, Senseonics, Abbott, and Roche are all developing CGM sensors with lower mean absolute relative differences (MARD) of nine to 12 percent. MARD denotes the difference between finger stick calibrations and sensor glucose values. The focus is now shifting to on-body form factor, cost, connectivity, degree of patient burden and other differentiating factors. The hope is to offer smaller, less expensive, more convenient and clinically impactful sensors and software.

There are many groundbreaking innovations happening here at Joslin Diabetes Center as well. Joslin is one of the study sites for the Replace-BG study, which is sponsored by the Hemsley foundation.

The purpose of this study is to determine whether the use of glucose value from CGM alone without Blood Glucose confirmation is safe and effective for insulin dosing decision. “This study could help demonstrate that using CGM for insulin bolusing is safe and therefore would minimize the number of finger stick measurements per day, easing the burden of managing type 1 diabetes for patients, “said Dr. Toschi.

We are also one of the sites for the Diamond study, sponsored by Dexcom. This study evaluates if the addition of CGM use in T1DM and T2DM on multiple daily injections can help improve glycemic control. Thus far, the use of CGM has shown to be beneficial in improving glycemic control and reduction of hypoglycemic event in type 1 diabetes pump users. The data gather during this study regarding type 1 diabetes will be released at American Diabetes Association meeting in New Orleans this coming June.

Joslin also has a pilot study testing the use of the device diagnostic platform called Glooko, which integrates data from the glucometer, pump and CGM and then creates graphs integrating the data gathered from those devices. This enables both physicians and patients to review the integrated data together and help identify patterns or issues in their daily diabetes management.

Another ongoing study involves a web-based nutrition education program to guide patients with post-mealtime analysis and glucose optimization. This is done through the use of a new smartphone app, called Sugar Sleuth, for real-time data logging to identify factors causing glycemic variability.

Technology is an important part of diabetes care as it increases our knowledge and support for daily diabetes management tasks, such as blood glucose monitoring, diet, exercise, medications and more.

“The widespread use of diabetes technology among people with type 1 and type 2 diabetes indicates that there is an interest in using these methods to improve self-management and diabetes outcomes,” said Dr. Toschi. “However, caution should be used on the proper use of the technology to adequately balance the short-term and long-term challenges of diabetes.”

For more information or to schedule an appointment with a member of Joslin’s Insulin Pump Program, click here.

3 Responses to How Technology Influences Diabetes Care

hi I am 60yo with T2DM since 2013 on oral meds with BG in morning 125-130 with ok a1c is there any new research or study help cure his disease for now and if not I like to keep have the latest news on T2DM please . thank you

The pump that checks your blood glucose levels and gives insulin is a great idea. I am type 2 and my numbers are high no matter what I do. Don’t eat , exercise, insulin just does not work for me. In my small town doctors only can treat easy diabetics they just think I am eating 10 candy bars a day. I need help so I hope those pumps will be for type 2 ppl like me

I have been taking Invocana in addition to Levimir 2X a day (22 units)
plus metformin 2x a day. My glucose numbers are “normal” with this regimen for past two years 6 and 6.9 whereas they were up to 12 when I first started levimir after 10 years on large does metformin and glipizide when they stopped working for me. My endocrinologist left Lahey over a month ago & have been unable to reach him for refills on Invokana etc.

Also those frightening ads on this product are disconcerting.
I AM A 2X CANCER SURVIVOR *
& don’t want to complicate things if this is an unsafe drug.

Do you have an experienced doc you can recommend in the Amesbury, Newburyport area 01913….01950